A Step into the Unknown
by WarriorOfTheLight
Summary: When dark and light collide, a balance must be retained. At the death of hundreds of soldiers who serve the dark, one death with fulfil the balance; the death of the Seeker. Does not follow the books. ON HIATUS!
1. Prologue

**When dark and light collide, a balance must be retained. At the death of hundreds of soldiers who serve the dark, one death with fulfil the balance; the death of the Seeker. **

Prologue 

Richard, Kahlan, Zedd and Cara gazed out at Darken Rahl's army. How Richard's brother had managed to assemble an army of at least ten thousand strong was anyone's guess. Kahlan's hand found Richard's and he gave it a reassuring squeeze. He looked at her to find her eyes already on him. Her blue orbs were full of apprehension. He drew her to the side, out of Zedd and Cara's hearing distance.

He looked deep into her blue eyes before letting his brown eyes roam over her entire face. He drew her into his arms and held her there whilst Kahlan let Richard's embrace put her at ease. "No matter what happens today, know that I will always love you, in this life and the next"

Kahlan pulled away and looked at Richard, her Confessor's mask now upon her face, hiding her emotions from him. She brought her hand up to his face, the simple gesture letting Richard know how much turmoil Kahlan was in. "Don't ever say that. Everything will be fine today. It has to be."

Richard was taken aback by Kahlan's words. He knew deep down that something big was going to happen today, but for her sake he didn't expand on his feeling. Instead, he smiled at the woman he loved before brushing his lips against hers, long enough to calm any fears of hers. When he pulled away, Kahlan smiled at him, her special smile, and led him back towards the others.

Cara and Zedd seemed to be having some sort of debate when Richard and Kahlan rejoined them. "This is suicide. One thousand against ten thousand? It's impossible." The mord-sith was saying.

"Not impossible, but consider it a challenge." Zedd replied, as if contemplating what he should have for breakfast. "We should return to the others. And maybe a spot of breakfast wouldn't go astray either." Richard smiled at his grandfather's predictability. Even Cara's rare anxiety seemed to be calmed with Zedd's composed demeanour. The four heroes turned to return to their army when Zedd pulled Richard back. The Seeker could see that the Wizard of the First Order was troubled.

"What is it Zedd?" Richard asked with increasing worry.

Zedd hesitated before looking his grandson in the eye. "I have a bad feeling about the forthcoming battle, my boy. We cannot afford to lose Kahlan. She is the last of the Confessors and that line must be protected no matter what. Especially if what our spies say is true; that Darken Rahl has developed a new kind of magical missile that cannot be healed and disables any mord-sith from using the Breath of Life"

"Zedd, you know that I would never let any harm come to Kahlan. Or you or Cara." Zedd's confession only served to increase Richard's unease.

Zedd smiled, satisfied with Richard's answer, and apparently oblivious to Richard's discomfort. "Good lad."

In the midst of the battle, Richard got separated from Kahlan, Cara and Zedd. He was surrounded by Darken Rahl's soldiers and he was fighting furiously, using the magic of the sword more than he had ever used it before. Soldier after soldier fell before the Sword of Truth and yet more replaced the fallen. Richard was aware of the fact that he could not continue fighting forever. Already the sword was started to get heavier in his hands. If he could just keep fighting until an ally appeared, then he could manage.

A flash of white caught his eye to his left and he saw Kahlan and Cara fighting their way towards him. unfortunately, his moment of distraction allowed his defences to slip, thus letting a young soldier's sword pierce his left arm. Richard cried out in surprise and pain. He grunted as he swung the sword round, slicing through the soldier's neck, releasing a fountain of blood from the man's throat. He heard Kahlan shout his name but he could not afford another distraction. Kahlan's shouting became more frantic until Richard finally managed to turn to her. She was motioning to a lone figure standing atop a fallen tree with an arrow notched and the bowstring drawn. Instinct told Richard that this was one of the arrows that Zedd had warned him about. Panic filled Richard as he turned to Kahlan to tell her to run, only to see her being swept away by a rush of D'Haran soldiers. Richard turned back to the archer just as the arrow found its mark, in his left shoulder. Richard grunted as the fighting around him stopped, the soldiers waiting for the Seeker to fall.

Instead, Richard drew upon his last reserves of energy and threw himself at the surrounding soldiers. He hacked viciously at the surprised soldiers until another magically poisoned arrow pierced his right shoulder. Richard stopped. In the distance he could hear her screaming his name and when he looked, she was fighting desperately alongside many of his allied soldiers to get to him. Richard let the point of the Sword of Truth drop to the ground as his legs gave way, forcing him to his knees.

Richard could feel the magic of the two arrows drawing his strength. His breathing became increasingly laboured and eyes became fuzzy. Kahlan's shouts became more and more distant. The soldiers around Richard smiled at the dying Seeker, knowing that they were witnessing history in the making. Richard looked up at them, his anger re-igniting at their smug faces, at Darken Rahl for resorting to his old ways. This anger mingled with the Sword of Truth's magic, filled Richard with rage. He forced himself through the pain and sprung to his feet, once again surprising the surrounding soldiers. He attacked any soldier who was within his range. He could see Kahlan, Zedd and Cara nearby and a spark of hope ignited inside Richard.

Until the final arrow punched through the base of Richard's ribcage. The Seeker staggered backwards from the force of the impact. He lowered his sword before, once again collapsing to his knees. The surrounding soldiers were no longer stationary as they fought the oncoming onslaught of the allied army.

Kahlan had seen everything. How Richard had fought through two arrows was remarkable. She pushed through the D'Haran soldiers in her bid to get to where Richard knelt. As she ran towards him, he keeled over onto his side, dropping his sword in the process. The Mother Confessor fell to her knees beside her Seeker and gently lifted him up onto her lap. Richard was pale and clammy, despite the day's excursions. His breathing was shallow and rapid. Kahlan's entire being was in turmoil. She couldn't accept that Richard was dying. He couldn't die. They had just found a way to be together. And what made it worse was that she did nothing. She couldn't summon the power of the _Con Dar_.

So focused was she upon Richard that she did not realise the D'Haran army was retreating until Zedd and Cara knelt beside her. Kahlan hoped that there was something that either of them could do to help Richard but her hopes were crushed when she saw Zedd's face. He knew that no magic could work against these arrows. Kahlan let out a choked sob in despair, loud enough to open Richard's eyes.

Richard stared at Kahlan, taking in her beauty one last time. His mouth was dry and his lips cracked when he opened his mouth to speak. Kahlan tried to shush him but Richard, being as stubborn as he was, persisted. "I love you." He croaked, "In this life and in the next." Tears streamed freely from Kahlan's eyes. Richard's eyes drifted to Cara. "Thank you." Cara's cheeks were wet with tears. Finally, Richard's eyes turned to his grandfather's. The Seeker smiled at his wizard. "Grandfather..." there were so many words to be said, but Richard had no strength to say them. Zedd, however, understood what his grandson would say.

Richard grimaced as the pain became unbearable. He raised a hand to his left shoulder. Kahlan, Zedd and Cara looked on, unsure of what the Seeker was going to do next. Richard's fingers closed around the shaft of the arrow in his shoulder and before anyone could stop him, he wrenched it from his body. Kahlan cried out but Richard moved his hand to his other shoulder. Cara understood what Richard was doing. She grabbed his hand and gave it the slightest squeeze before removing the arrow himself.

Kahlan stared at Cara in horror. "What are you doing?" she nearly screamed.

Cara gave Kahlan a cool look. "He doesn't want to die with them in his body. It is my duty to the Lord Rahl to obey his wishes, even if I disagree with them." With those words, Cara extracted the final arrow from Richard's chest.

As the arrow left Richard's body, he shuddered before becoming still. His breathing had stopped and his eyes had glazed over whilst looking at Kahlan. Thus was the end of Richard Rahl, the first Seeker of Truth for a thousand years.

Kahlan couldn't muster any words. No one could. The greatest symbol of hope was gone. Tears continued to stream down her face but she could not tear her eyes from Richard's. She knew that this was the last time she would ever see them.

Zedd leant over and shut his grandson's eyes.

The Seeker's body was not to be buried. There was no fear of banelings anymore. Instead, his body was placed on a boat upon the river that ended in a waterfall before opening out into the sea. He had very few object to be placed with him. The Sword of Truth could not be lost with his body.

The allied army stood on the banks of the river. The Mother Confessor wore her hood up. Finally the boat containing the Seeker's body was pushed out into the current. The Mord-Sith raised a drawn bow and the Wizard lit the arrow with the everlasting wizards-fire. The Mord-Sith let the arrow fly to its mark, setting the Seeker's funeral boat alight.

The allies watched the fire burn and the boat descend the river. No one spoke a word. Even the birds were quiet in their appreciation of the death of such a prominent figure. At last, the boat disappeared over the edge of the waterfall. The allies dispersed until only the Mother Confessor, the Wizard and the Mord-Sith remained until night had descended.

No one spoke a word.


	2. Life and Allies

Chapter 1

The man's consciousness began to clear as his surroundings came into focus. He was in a forest, next to a crackling fire, close enough to be warm but not too close as to get hot. As he stirred, another figure came into view. It was a girl, not much younger than himself, five years maximum. She looked at the man and a look of relief passed through her features. As the man looked at her, he tried to remember where he had seen her from but could not place her.

"Good. You're awake." She stated. The man tried to move but an excruciating pain prevented him from doing more than sitting up slightly. The girl looked on at his attempts to move with pity and concern. "You shouldn't be trying to move. You're hurt."

The man didn't want to like this girl and her obvious statements, but he couldn't not like her. She came over and helped him sit up and rested his back against a log. She then moved back to the fire where, for the first time, the man saw a pot cooking something over it. She ladled some of the pot's contents into a bowl and brought it over to the man.

He looked at her questioningly causing the girl to laugh. The sound brought a smile to his lips and created a warm feeling in his stomach. "Don't worry, it's only Spice Soup. Not poison." The man nodded and dug into the soup, relishing its warmth and taste. He was pleasantly surprised at how good the soup was, especially since it was a speciality in the Westlands.

The soup had replenished some of the man's energy and had quenched his parched mouth which had prevented him from talking before."Thank you" he croaked. The girl came forwards and took the bowl from him before offering him her waterskin. The man accepted and drank thirstily before taking another bowl of Spice Soup from the girl. "this is good." He said. The praise made the girl beam with pride.

"Thank you. My father taught me to make it."

"Are you from the Westlands?" the man inquired.

The girl hesitated, seeming to struggle with an internal turmoil. The man realised that his question had been fairly personal and was about to tell the girl that the answer was not important but she answered first. "yes." That simple word seemed to put the man's mind at rest as he felt that he could trust her more now.

"What's your name?" he asked.

The girl looked at the man, deep into his dark brown eyes. He saw that her eyes were so blue that they had taken on a hint of purple. "Lillian. Everyone calls me Lily though." The man smiled. The name suited this girl.

"I'm Richard." He said, "What happened?"

The girl looked at Richard closely before answering. "I found you at the place where the river meets the sea. There were no possessions on you but I could see that you were hurt so I helped you."

Richard nodded, remembering the fight with Darken Rahl and the poisoned arrows. He then realised that Kahlan and the others thought that he was dead. Richards knew that he had to find his friends, and soon, before they named a new Seeker. However, one part of Lily's story did not make sense. "Why were you at the place where the river meets the sea? It's quite a distance from anywhere."

Lily looked pained. "I've lost my brother and I was looking for him on the outskirts of the forest before I came across you."

Richard looked warily into Lily's violet eyes. He had already had a bad experience with another Lily who had lost her brother, only to find himself nearly handed directly over to Darken Rahl. As the Seeker of Truth, Richard always sought answers, but deciphering whether or not someone was lying had always been Kahlan's role. Now more than ever did Richard miss the woman whom he loved. Richard looked hard at Lily, taking in her long, dark, wavy hair and pretty face. She looked so much like someone that it unnerved Richard; even more so that he could not remember who. Richard nodded stiffly. Lily saw the sudden change in Richard's demeanour and frowned, as if unsure of what to say. Finally, she gestured to his chest.

"That should be better in a day or two. Rest and food is all you need." With those final words, she smiled sadly at Richard one last time before standing and disappearing into the surrounding trees.

The next morning, Richard woke to brilliant sunlight streaming through the trees. He groaned and slightly arched his back, having slept against the log all night. To his surprise, Richard found his body was not in pain anymore, rather it was stiff. He managed to stand before looking around for any sign of Lily. He hoped that he hadn't scared her off by being cold to her last night but he couldn't afford to trust anyone anymore. There was no sign of the girl; the fire had been reduced to a smouldering pile of ashes and he could not see any signs of somebody entering the clearing since last night.

Richard sighed and sat down on the log. He had to find his friends. Maybe he could ask Lily for help, if she came back. Or maybe he should just leave immediately. But he couldn't. He could not risk causing further damage to his body. Lily said that it would only take another day before he would be alright to travel. These thoughts all rushed around Richard's head as he sat there. A branch snapped somewhere in the trees and Richard's hand instinctively went to his waist to the Sword of Truth. However, it wasn't there. Richard realised how stupid he had been. Of course it wasn't there. Zedd and Kahlan would never let the sword go, even if he was dead. Richard looked around for any sort of object that he could use as a weapon as he was unarmed. Even if he did acquire something, he doubted that he would be able to use it. At the moment, whilst he was healing, he was useless.

Lily stepped through the trees and smiled at the alert Richard. "Good morning. I see that you're up already." She dumped her bag on the ground before going back into the forest to retrieve firewood.

When Lily had the fire going again, she opened her bag and took out a loaf of bread. Richard stared at it hungrily. Lily laughed at his expression and muttered something about men and their stomachs.

"Why are you helping me?" Richard blurted.

Lily stopped what she was doing but didn't turn to face Richard for a long time. When she finally did, her eyes were distant, remembering memories from another time, "I was always told to help people, even though they might not appreciate it."

Richard smiled. It sounded like something Kahlan would say. Lily saw his smile and returned it with one of her own. She then turned back to preparing the food. She heated up the left-over Spice Soup and cut a chunk of hard cheese that she also had in her bag. She handed Richard a bowl before sitting next to him with a bowl of her own.

Lily seemed to be at ease around Richard, and strangely, he enjoyed being around her as well. "So," Lily said with a mouthful of bread and soup, "what's your story? How did you end up in a river with wounds like that?"

Richard looked into Lily's eyes. He noticed how they were bright with unasked questions. However, he was shocked that Lily didn't know who he was. Almost everybody did; even without the Sword of Truth on his belt. Richard opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before answering, deciding what to say. "I can't remember what happened exactly, but I know I need to find my friends." He felt bad about lying to Lily but he had decided that it was safer to do so. "I was wondering, though, if we should team up and look for your brother and my friends together. It would be safer and maybe even easier."

Richard looked at Lily to find her eyes glistening. "That would be brilliant. That way we will find them in no time."


End file.
